Allan Gordon Campbell built a distinguished surgical career in South Australian, working at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and later helping to establish Flinders Medical Centre.
Early Life
Allan Gordon Campbell (known to friends and colleagues as “AG”) was born on 4 May 1916 in Croydon, South Australia. He was the first child of Gordon Campbell, a city solicitor, and Iris Campbell (née Fisher). Medicine ran in the Campbell family. His grandfather, also Dr Allan Campbell, was a prominent figure in South Australian Medical history. He helped found the Adelaide Children’s Hospital in 1876.
Dr Campbell attended St Peter’s College, Adelaide and entered the University of Adelaide Medical School at just 16. He had topped the state’s Leaving Honours Examinations in 1932.
Although he briefly considered a career in law, Dr Campbell later said family tradition strongly influenced his choice to study medicine.
I wasn’t particularly enamoured of law but the family’s always been in medicine, so I followed.
(Allan Gordon Campbell, Oral History, 4 July 2002)
Medical Education
At University he was awarded the Harold Fisher Scholarship. The Harold Fisher Scholarship was established in 1928 and awarded to South Australian students of high academic performance. Dr Cambpell continued to perform strongly throughout his early medical studies. In 1933, he gained first credit in first-year medicine and received the Elder Prize. The Elder prize was awarded to the best first-year medical student in Anatomy, Biology and Physiology. The following year, he achieved fifth credit in second-year medicine.
In addition to his academic achievements, Dr Campbell was a talented amateur athlete. He held multiple sprinting titles during his time at university, including five consecutive wins in the 100-yard and 200-yard championships. Dr Campbell also won the Intervarsity 100-yard championship three years in succession. He also shared the university record for the 100 yards (10 1⁄5 seconds) with fellow athlete J. Davis. Athleticism appeared to run in the family; his father had also held university records in sprinting events.
Dr Campbell graduated MBBS from the University of Adelaide in 1938. He was appointed as a Resident Medical Officer (RMO) at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. It was there that he worked under Dr Ina Fox, a registrar three years his senior, who would later become his wife. In 1940, he transferred to the Adelaide Children’s Hospital to continue his early clinical training.
Early Naval Service and the Greek Evacuation
In April 1939, Dr Campbell enlisted in the Royal Australian Naval Reserve (RANR) as a Surgeon Lieutenant. The Royal Australian Navy mobilised him for full time service on 15 July 1940 and posted hiom to the HMAS Cerberus IV. At just 24 he began a naval medical career that would result in a Distinguished Service Order (DSO).
His first sea appointment came soon after, when he joined the destroyer HMAS Vendetta as ship’s medical officer. Vendetta was active in naval operations off North Africa. Operations included bombardments of Libyan port of Bardia in August 1940 and again in January 1941. In early 1941, the ship supported Operation Lustre, transporting Allied troops to Greece under regular air attack.
Dr Campbell’s most significant wartime experience occurred during the evacuation of Greece in April 1941. As German forces advanced, Vendetta helped evacuate Allied troops from the beaches. With no motor cutter available, wounded soldiers were ferried to the ship in rowboats. At Dr Campbell’s urging, the ship’s captain brought Vendetta closer to the shore to recue those who had been left behind.
We were involved in the evacuation form Greece … that great disaster.
(Dr Allan Campbell, Oral History, 4 July 2002)
Dr Campbell organised the care of 469 troops, many wounded, under extreme conditions, with limited medical supplies and the threat of enemy air raids. His steady leadership and insistence on prioritising the seriously injured were widely respected.
In recognition of his actions during the evacuation, Dr Campbell was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). The citation, published in the London Gazette on 3 June 1941, commented his:
gallant and distinguished service rendered to the wounded … during the withdrawal from the beaches of Greece in the face of many and great difficulties.
Later War Years
Dr Campbell remained on Vendetta until October 1941, then transferred to HMAS Napier, serving in the Mediterranean and Indian Oceans. Duties included escorts, bombardments, and supporting the relief of Tobruk. Napeir later joined the Eastern Fleet in Ceylon and escorted convoys to Malta. During one such mission, enemy forces sank the sister ship HMAS Nestor.
In August 1943, the military repatriated Dr Campbell to Australia due to illness. Doctors admitted him to the Repatriation Hospital at Daws Road with what they initially thought to be miliary tuberculosis.
I was brought back from Darwin with what was diagnosed then on the x-rays as miliary tuberculosis … Ivan Magarey said, ‘There’s no way you’ve got ‘miliary TB. You’ve got what they called atypical pneumonia’.
(Dr Allan Gordon Campbell, Oral History, 4 July 2002)
While on leave in 1942, Dr Campbell married Dr Ina Fox, his former registrar from the Royal Adelaide Hospital. He briefly paused his naval duties to sit his Master of Surgery Part I exam, which he passed while stationed at Flinders Naval Base in Melbourne.
By April 1945, the Royal Australian Navy had promoted Dr Campbell to Surgeon Lieutenant Commander, and he served aboard HMAS Shropshire. He served during key operations in the Pacific, including landings at Brunei and Balikpapan. Dr Campbell was aboard Shropshire in Tokyo Bay for during the formal Japanese surrender on 2 September 1945.
We weren’t allowed ashore … but we were there for the actual signing of the surrender.
(Dr Allan Gordon Campbell, Oral History, 4 July 2002)
Demobilised in December 1945, Dr Campbell remained in the Naval Reserve for many years, eventually reaching the rank of Surgeon Captain. His name last appeared in the Navy List in 1967.
From War to Hospital
Following his discharge from active naval service in December 1945, Dr Campbell returned to civilian life in Adelaide. He initially joined a general practice in Hindmarsh, however, his growing interest in surgery soon led him back into hospital work.
In 1946, he began formal surgical training at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. By 1948, the Royal Adelaide Hospital had appointed him Assistant Medical Superintendent (Surgical), a role that balanced hands-on training with hospital administration.
We were just starting again, really … everyone was coming back from the war. There was a shortage of doctors and a lot of rebuilding to do in the hospitals.
(Dr Allan Gordon Campbell, Oral History, 4 July 2002)
Allan Gordon Campbell (Assistant Superintendent – Surgical), front row, 6th from right
Gaining Qualifications at Home and Abroad
In 1949, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) admitted Dr Campbell as a Fellow. The following year, he completed a Master of Surgery (ChM) degree at the University of Adelaide. Like many of his peers, he was expected to seek further qualifications overseas to progress his career. So, in 1950, he travelled to the United Kingdom with the help of a Gordon Craig Travelling Scholarship, awarded by the Royal College of Surgeons.
While in the UK, Dr Campbell undertook advanced surgical work at several major teaching hospitals, including Hammersmith Hospital in London and Warrington General Hospital in Lancashire. There he gained exposure to both surgical techniques and hospital management systems that were different from those back home.
The hospitals in England … they were different in how they ran things. More rigid, perhaps, but the training was excellent. You were expected to learn fast and do things properly.
(Allan Gordon Campbell, Oral History, 4 July 2002)
In 1951, Dr Campbell successfully passed the FRCS exam and the Royal College of Surgeons admitted him as a Fellow.
Dr Campbell’s return to Adelaide in the early 1950s came at a time of substantial change in Australian public hospitals. His dual fellowships—Australasian and British—along with his academic and wartime experience, positioned him as part of a new generation of highly qualified surgeons who would help modernise surgical practice and training across South Australia in the post-war era.
It was a good time to be coming back. The hospitals were expanding, and we were keen to bring in what we’d learned overseas.
(Allan Gordon Campbell, Oral History, 4 July 2002)
Building a Surgical Career in Adelaide
When he returned to Adelaide in 1953, the Royal Adelaide Hospital appointed him Honorary Assistant Surgeon. Under the then standard honorary system, medical specialists provided part time, unpaid service in public hospital, while also maintaining private practice. This system, inherited from British hospital traditions, allowed public hospitals to access specialist expertise without incurring full salary costs. He became Honorary Surgeon in 1963, and after the honorary system was abolished, a Senior Visiting Surgeon in 1971.
The Honoraries put in a tremendous amount of work … but it wasn’t a really day-to-day commitment like it is now.
(Allan Gordon Campbell, Oral History, 4 July 2002)
Dr Campbell had broad clinical interests, but maintained a particular focus on trauma surgery, which was only just gaining recognition as a sub-specialty in Australia.
He also held teaching roles at the University of Adelaide Medical School contributing to curriculum development in surgery and surgical anatomy. He served on the Faculty of Medicine’s Curriculum Committee and was also active in the Foreign Practitioners Assessment Committee, which reviewed the credentials of overseas-trained doctors.
We had a lot of doctors coming from overseas at that time. It was important they had the right support, but also that standards were maintained.
(Dr Allan Gordon Campbell, Oral History, 4 July 2002)
Teaching and Working
Besides his hospital work, Dr Campbell also served on advisory committees to the University of Adelaide, the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital. He also served as Visiting Specialist in General Surgery to the Department of Repatriation, continuing his commitment to veteran care.
Alongside his public hospital work, Dr Campbell ran a successful private practice from the Botanic Chambers on North Terrace, directly opposite the Royal Adelaide Hospital. He also provided regional surgical services, visiting hospitals in Angaston and Mount Gambier.
Colleagues widely respected Dr Campbell as a mentor to younger surgeons. Known for his calm and measured approach, he was often called on for advice in difficult clinical and management situations.
Allan was the person you went to when the situation was tricky. He didn’t rush decisions – he thought things through” recalled one former colleague
The Australian Medical Association recognised Dr Campbell’s contributions to South Australian surgery by awarding him life membership, among other honours.
Flinders Medical Centre
In 1976, after more than twenty years at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Dr Campbell accepted an offer from Professor Jim Watts, Foundation Professor of Surgery at Flinders University, to join the newly opened Flinders Medical Centre (FMC) as a Senior Visiting Surgeon. He was 60 at the time, with an established career and reputation, making the move an unexpected one.
The Flinders Medical Centre was the teaching hospital of the newly founded Flinders University School of Medicine. Dr Campbell’s decision to leave the Royal Adelaide Hospital for a new institution raised eyebrows.
I met with a lot of criticism … they thought I was mad to suddenly go. But I thought, Well, this is a challenge.
(Allan Gordon Campbell, Oral History, 4 July 2002)
Despite initial reservations from his peers, Dr Campbell found the atmosphere at Flinders intellectually refreshing. He appreciated the open, questioning atmosphere and the mix of younger staff who weren’t afraid to challenge senior figures.
They were a much younger group … if one made some deep pronouncement, some young fellow would get up and say, ‘Why?’ You had to justify yourself, very challenging and very stimulating.
(Dr Allan Campbell, Oral History, 4 July 2002)
Dr Campbell retired from Flinders Medical Centre in 1981 at aged 65.
Contributions to the Rose
Although he enjoyed golf, Dr Campbell chose rose-growing as his main hobby, partly because it allowed him to stay closer to home in case he was called out and partly for the change of pace. Gardening also gave him the opportunity to build friendships outside the medical profession.
Dr Campbell’s became very involve in the Rose Society of South Australia, serving as its state president from 1974 to 1976, and as national president in both 1975 and 1981. He became a respected judge at Rose Society shows and regularly represented Australia at meetings of the World Federation of Rose Societies.
I’ve been president of the local society, the National Rose Society of Australia, and a delegate to the World Federation of Rose Societies … Oxford, Toronto, Baden-Baden, Christchurch – been to them all.
(Allan Gordon Campbell, Oral History, 4 July 2002)
In recognition of his service to rose-growing in Australia, Dr Campbell received the TA Stewart Memorial Award in 1976 and the Australian Rose Award in 1981. He also helped guide national rose evaluation as a representative on the Board of the National Rose Trial Garden at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.
Dr Campbell helped establish rose gardens at several hospitals, including the Royal Adelaide Hospital in 1976, marked by a commemorative plaque. He also created gardens at Ashford Hospital, St Chad’s Anglican Church, and the Pineview Retirement Village. At Pineview, he wrote a monthly column on rose care, later published as Pineview Roses – A Rose Lover’s Handy Guide, with proceeds going to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
Retirement
After retiring from Flinders Medical Centre, Dr Campbell maintained a small private practice for several years before retiring fully in 1984.
Community service remained an important part of Dr Campbell’s life. He and his wife Ina were long-standing members of St Chad’s Church in Fullarton. Dr Campbell served on the Parish Council, was a Synod Representative, and regularly supported the parish generously through fundraising and donations. They often opened their home to the public for garden viewings raising funds for the church.
Dr Campbell not only tended the Royal Adelaide Hospital’s rose garden but also contributed his time and knowledge as a member of the hospital’s Heritage and History Committee.
Ina passed away in 1998. Allan Campbell died peacefully at home on 29 June 2011, aged 95 and was buried alongside her in the North Road Cemetery in Nailsworth.
Key Dates:
- 1916 – Born in Adelaide
- 1935 – Tops first year at University of Adelaide Medical School
- 1939 – Joins Royal Australian Naval Reserve
- 1939 – Graduated MBBS from University of Adelaide
- 1939-1941 – Internship and early clinical work at Royal Adelaide Hospital
- 1942 – Enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RANVR) as a Surgeon Lieutenant
- 1942-1945 – Serves in the Mediterranean and European theatres, aboard HMAS Vendetta and Napier
- 1945 – Present in Tokyo Bay for Japanese surrender
- 1948 – Appointed Assistant Medical Superintendent (Surgical), Royal Adelaide Hospital
- 1949– Became Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS), Awarded Gordon Craig Travelling Scholarship
- 1950 – Earned Master of Sugary (University of Adelaide)
- 1951 – Admitted as Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (FRCS)
- 1953 – Returned to Adelaide; Appointed Honorary Surgeon at Royal Adelaide Hospital
- 1963 – Promoted to Honorary Surgeon, Royal Adelaide Hospital
- 1970 – Honorary System abolished in South Australia
- 1971 – Became Senior Visiting Surgeon at Royal Adelaide Hospital
- 1976 – Established rose garden at Royal Adelaide Hospital
- 1976 – Senior Surgeon at Flinders Medical Centre
- 1981 – Retired form Flinders Medical Centre
- 1984 – Fully retires from medical practice
- 1998 – Death of wife, Ina Campbell
- 2011 – (29 June) Passed away at home, aged 95
Written by Margot Way, CALHN Health Museum
(Information sourced from online and the CALHN Health Museum collection. Copies of all newspaper articles and other relevant documents are available on request).